1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is directed to belts for providing both back and abdominal support and is particularly directed to a utility belt having an enlarged back pad, an enlarged abdominal pad and reduced side sections between the rib and hip of the wearer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Support belts have been available for many years to provide back support when lifting or moving heavy objects. An outgrowth of the support belt is a utility belt which permits a harness to be attached directly to the belt to aid in the lifting or moving motion and activity. Also, utility belts have been very useful in providing a means for attaching a safety harness to the wearer for a variety of tasks such as, by way of example, window washing of tall buildings and the like.
Such belts have also become common in certain types of sports and activities. For example, body builders and weight lifters have long used support belts to provide additional support protecting the back against injury during body building exercises. Also, such belts have been very useful in providing an added measure of safety when using harness-type tree stands for bow hunting and the like. An example of a belt specifically designed for weight lifting and body building is shown in my co-pending application Ser. No. 07/491,349 entitled "SUPPORT DEVICE" filed on Mar. 9, 1990.
Recently, it has become mandatory in a number of states that invalid care personnel use "GAIT" belts placed around the waist of the patient before ambulating, transferring or lifting a patient. This permits the care giver to move the patient by sliding the hands upward under the belt with the palms facing away from the patient and grasping the belt securely. While this provides additional protection to the patient, it has been found that this type of lifting motion creates additional strain on the back of the care giver. By providing the care giver with a back support device such as a support belt, the strain has been reduced.
Most scientific literature agrees that such belts can help prevent back injuries. See for example the article, "Why Use Belts" by Jeffrey E. Lander, Ph.D., pages 72, 73 Body Building Lifestyles, April 1991. See also Strength-Power Update, Vol. 1, No. 3, Summer 1986 published by the National Strength Research Center.
The effectiveness of weight belts during squat exercises and the like is discussed in "The Effectiveness of Weight Belts During the Squat Exercise" by Jeffrey E. Lander, R. Leslie Simonton and Joel K. F. Giacobe of the Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Health and Human Performance, Auburn University. This article was published in Medicine in Science and Sports Exercise, Vol. 22, No. 1, pps. 117-126 by the American College of Sports Medicine, 1990. The article discusses the effectiveness of weight belts during the performance of the parallel squat exercise. The data generated during these tests supports a position that a weight belt can aid in supporting the body trunk of the wearer by increasing intra-abdominal pressure. In fact, a tight fitting weight belt can increase the intra-abdominal pressure by up to 40% over wearing no belt. This means that a body builder who possesses very strong abdominals will benefit from wearing a weight belt. Wearing the belt increases the intra-abdominal pressure, decreasing the forces acting directly on the lumbar spine by up to 50%. This is important because the compressive forces on the lower spine can exceed 2500 pounds during a 300 pound squat.
In other types of activities, it has been found that the weight belts do reduce the load on the spine and provide for a greater degree of protection. While this is very important for body builders, it is also extremely beneficial for other strenuous activities particularly in the work place where the wearer is required to do heavy lifting and moving activities. In addition to increasing the intra-abdominal pressure, thereby reducing the strain on the back and protecting the back against injury, it has been found that use of the belt also reduces the fatigue factor of the wearer when used in industrial environments where heavy lifting and strenuous moving activity is undertaken over an extended period of time.